Measure Twice, Knit Once

I plan ahead.  I'm the kind of person who knows whether I'm going to get a cart or a basket before I even pull into the grocery store parking lot.  My list of creative to-do projects is so long and thought out it includes things like J's fingerless drumming gloves (come middle school she'll be practicing in our cold garage).  I just like to know what's coming.  The trouble is, while I know what I'm going to make, I don't always calculate the supplies correctly, and my shopping can predate the actual project by years. My Orange Peel quilt required four trips to the Cambridge Quilt Shop due to miscalculations, but at least the fabrics were still in print (on the up side, Lynne and Monique know me by name now).

I've mentioned before that whenever I take up a new craft I immediately commit to making a *insert time-consuming project* for each of my nieces and nephews. I did my first Christmas stocking six years ago when I first learned to knit:

My youngest niece is now three, and she's next on the stocking list.  There were five nieces/nephews in front of her, so she had to wait patiently.  I wanted to do a matching but contrasting color for her so I just switched it up:

Of course the problem is, I bought the yarn two years before actually starting the stocking.  When I started to run out of the red I panicked - there was no way to get a second skein from the same dye lot. I'd have to use a slightly different color to finish the toe (Naooooooo, as j would say) or start over (I don't do that, ever.  It's a patience/perfectionist gene I was not born with.)  I made do with what I had and cut corners/rows wherever I could.  I could've waited to give this gift in person, but I sent it through the mail so my sister can explain to Daria why she gets the small one.  She has much more parenting experience, so she probably won't say "because Santa likes DJ better," but I can't wait to hear what she comes up with.

After knitting a big sock, I was in the mood for a newly conceived project, not one that's been stuck in the closet forever.   A hat for a toddler seemed like something that could just be whipped up and I liked this cloche from ravelry (free download!).  I've never done anything with thin fingering weight yarn or tiny size 3 needles.  Always seemed like a good way to get bored and develop arthritis.  But, I loved this yarn that matches J's eyes, and so did she.

It came out pretty cute.  Doesn't quite cover her ears, so she'll only get to wear it for a couple more weeks, but I'll round up some super chunky and size 15 needles for the next hat!

I think I'm still in a knitting phase - it's such a nice way to make watching TV feel productive. Maybe I'll just relax and see what kind of inspiration next week brings!